Treatment of calcium carbid.



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t nan 1"" lA'llll/I'El\l"f OF CALCIUM CARBIID.

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No Drawing.

It is an iinportant object of the present invention to avoid the use of moisture in the treatment of the calcium carbid, and, therefore, the treatment is a dry one so as to avoid deterioration of the carbid by the treatment thereof.

According to this invention powdered calcium carbid is treated with a mixture of hot sulfur and sugar before forming the cakes.

- Preferably according to this invention the calcium carbid is heated before the addition of the coating and binding material which consists of a mixture of sulfur and sugar. Thus according .to this invention powdered calcium carbid is first heated, incorporated with a mixture of sulfur and sugauformed into blocks or cakes, dipped into suitable oil and then dried.

The following is an example of one method of carrying this invention into effect. The binding material consists of two parts by weight of powdered sulfur (flowers of sulfur) and one part by weigl'it of sugar, well mixed together. Cheap refuse sugar is conveniently used. A suitable quantity of calcium carbid (of a size of one to five millimeters) is weighed out and heated in a closed iron pan or vessel. to a temperature just below that at which the sulfur in the binding material would take fire. The nec-- essary portion of binding material is then added to the carbid (in the proportion of one part by weight of binding material to ten parts by weight'of carbid) the whole is well mixed together and kept warm. 7

The mold has the form of the so called diamond mold used by chemists, and consists of a bottom plate, a cylindrical mold and a die. The cylindrical mold is placed upon the plate so as to close one end, it is filled by means fof a measuring can, the die is placed in the mold and pressed at a very Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 8, 1910.

Application filed Februaryii; 1909. Serial No. 476,608.

high pressure by means of a heavy press, five to six blows giving the best result. The cyhndrical mold is then removed from the bottom plate and the cake is forced out and allowed to cool. While the cake is still warm it is dipped in Mazut (blue oil) placed upon a wire sieve in order to allow superfluous oil to dnop off and then dried, after which it is ready for use. The oil provides a waterproof coating for the blocks.

It is found in practice that it is necessary to keep the temperature to which the carbid or the mixture of carbid sugar and sulfur is heated between 100 and 170 C. It is preferred, however, to keep the temperature between 120 and 130 C. at which temperature the most satisfactory results are obtained.

It will be understood that the details of this process may be consider-ably varied without departing from this invention. Thus'the sugar referred to may consist of ordinary sugar, glucose, or other saccharine substance; the blue oil referred to may be replaced by any other suitable oil.

To explain the advantages and the opera-. tion of the sulfur, it may be stated that in order to make a satisfactory block of carbid, the following essentials are desirable: The material to be used must be non-hygroscopic, and must contain no water or other compounds or elements within it which react on carbid of calcium. Sulfur fills these requirements admirably as it is not soluble in water and is non-hygroscopic. As the material is non-hygroscopic, and as it is necessary to admit water to the carbid, the binding material must be of such a nature that it will easily break up or otherwise admit water to the carbid when it is used.

The material must be capable of forming an extremely thin glaze over all of the pieces of carbid, so as to render the proportion of inert matter (binder) to active matter (car, bid of calcium) as low as possible.

Now, it is well known that sulfur is such an extremely bad conductor of heat that if a piece of it be warmed even by being grasped in the hand it will be heard to crack by the unequal heating and will ultimately fall to pieces (see Ne'wth I no'rgcmic Ohemz's try) In the manufacture of [blocks the fused cles thereof. Therefore, in using the said arm-me blocks the following operation lakes place: It is Well known that the deerimposition of calcium earhiol hy means of water liberates considerable heat. The outer skin of each a block consists of small pieces ol 'fll'llltl which under the microscope will he found to be insufliciently protected hy the sulfur, the extremely fine glaze of the latter having: been bruised by the considerable amount oi? force required to push the cake oi rarhid out of the steel die in which .it has been made] To protect this outer layer, the cake is clipped in a suitable oil.

When placed in water .lor use, the hruised. outer layer is at ease attached. hy the water. This sets up heat, which heat fl'flilliH ihe glaze of sulfur on the next layer of carhid and thereby admits water to it. lmvever,

the water although penneatiug the oulumst I layer of sulfur thatsurrouiuls those part1- rles of: tfllblll inuned ately in contact with the Water prevents the water 'l'roni. pone, "rting immediately into the entire lllllSh'. a, consequence the block structure is not unmediately destroyed, hut the mass holds to-- gether until the layers of earhid are sue- (ressively attacked and decomposed by the water. 'lheretorc, although the generation of the :ua-itylene gas begins inm'iediately iug together calcium carhid, sulfur and sugar, and heatinp said. sulfur whereby it is fused throughimt the mixture.

3. The herein described proc as of treating calcium earhid, which consists in thoroughly intermingling a mass of calcium carhid and sulfur at a tempo 'ature that will cause the sulfur to become fused and coat the carhid particles throughout the mass.

4. The herein described process of forming calcium cal-hid into blocks which consists in heating the calcium car-bid, mixing it with a dry Inwtecting and binding agent containing: sulluland saga and heating the sulfur and j to fuse the san'i-z and conun'essing the mixture into bloc it v 5. The herein described process of forminc calcium carhid l)l()Cl(S, l Vl]l(2l1 consists in heating the calcium carhiol, mixing it i with a protecting and binding agent composed of sulfur and sugar heating the eul :i u and sugar to fuse throughout the mixlure compressing the mixture into blocks, and dipi'iiue said blocks into oil.

(3. its an article of manufacture, a earhid hlocli' comprising a mass of calcium earbid particles, and a hinding agent of fused sull'ur inrorporated with and permeating the mass raid sulfur omitting the :arhid particles.

7. its an article of .ruaiuii'aclure, a carhid hloclt.comprising a mass of calcium carbidparticlcs, and a binding agent of fused sul- Fur and sugar incmporated with. and per meating the mass, said sulfur coating the earhid particles throughout the mass.

in testimony whereof l have signed. my name to lhir- 'iecilicaiion in the presence of so two ulrwrilung \vitnessqs.

(lllAlthllS CHEERS llhtlilll lllhll.

ll'itnesses:

A. Xurrmu, l'l .l). J A MESUN. 

